The ISEH 41st Annual Scientific Meeting will be held from August 23-26 in, Amsterdam at the Hotel Okura. The scientific program comprises presidential symposia and plenary lectures featuring leading international researchers and clinicians, as well as oral and poster sessions presenting ground-breaking research selected from submitted abstracts. The Scientific Committee takes great pride in assembling both faculty and content that continue in the ISEH tradition of scientific excellence. This year's scientific program features sessions on ES/iPS cells, Developmental Biology (mammalian), Development Biology (other animal models), Epigenetic, HSC Biology, Leukemia and Lymphoma, Microenvironment, Novel tools/approaches in Hematology, transcriptional AND translational control of hematopoiesis, transplantation/gene therapy/regenerative medicine. The meeting proactively fosters the participation of young investigators and emerging leaders in the field by providing young investigator awards and travel grants, and opportunities for meeting and networking with leading international researchers. Young Investigators have become an even greater focus for 2012, with multiple programs especially designed to enhance the experience for newer scientists while continuing to provide unparalleled science for senior investigators. An active New Investigator Committee has worked with leadership to repeat successful activities: The Young Investigator Career Panel (two lunch-time sessions with speakers addressing Alternate Careers in Science AND How to Mount an Effective Job Search in Academia); the Meet the Professor Breakfasts (with new investigators signing up to be seated at the table with the expert scientist of their choice with active dialogue), and the Young Investigator Networking event. Additionally, a new event has been added: the Young Investigator session, with the speaker and topic selected by the New Investigator Committee. The small size of this meeting assures Young Investigators a prominent place, and makes this event more valuable to them and to the scientific community as whole, as compared to the much larger and broader scientific events in the USA or other parts of the world. Young Investigators also have a considerably higher chance of being selected for an abstract presentation, because they represent a significant percentage of attendees.